Lindsay and I concocted and canned a large pot of homemade hot sauce. It turned out nice. A fair hit of heat (but not crazy… about on-par with Tabasco or Red Hot), but with a touch of sweet and a nice full mouth flavor. It would be great on tortilla chips, as an add-in for goulash, or on some fried/grilled chicken (or of course with other meats… a lovely thick pork chop or roasted loin, for example). This recipe is based on the one found here, but modified. Here is the recipe:

1. Over high heat in a large saucepan, heat oil and add the onion and peppers. Saute for several minutes until soft. Add garlic. Cook for 2-3 more minutes. Stir continuously.

2. Add the vinegar, tomatoes, salt and molasses. Stir until the tomatoes break down. Roughly 6 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer mixture for an additional 15-30 minutes until all of the peppers are soft and sloppy.

3. Place mixture in blender and blend until a puree is formed (careful, a drop in your eyes will mean a trip to the hospital, and even breathing the steam will burn your lungs and cause intense coughing).

4. Pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve, or run through a Foley food mill.

5. Store in refrigerator or water bath can (we canned ours by processing it in small sterile jelly jars for around 30 minutes). Makes about 10 8oz. jars.

It is advised that you wear kitchen/latex gloves while chopping and handling hot peppers, as some may find their hands very sensitive to the capsaicin in the peppers (skin that feels like it is burning is an undesirable outcome, and even if you’re not one of those persons, consider that you can’t touch your eyes for about 2 days… even after washing multiple times).